Ruling or lining instrument



oct'. 31, 195o H. M. MCCLU'RE 2,527,832

' RULING 0R LINING INSTRUMENT Filed-Feb. 1e, 1946 1N VEN TOR.

f5 irak/y M/ V/zzre Patented Oct. 31, 1950 UNITED srlmais PATENr OFFICE 2,527,832 v RULING on LINING INSTRUMENT Hugh M. McClure, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Keuiel & Esser Company, Hoboken, N. J., aV corporation of New Jersey Application February 16, 1946, Serial No. 648,047

7 claims. (01; 12o- 110) This invention relates to a ruling Vor lining instrument and is in the nature of animprovement upon'my pending application for patent on'Ruling or Lininglnstrument, Serial No. 607,-

567, iiled July 28, 1945; now Patent No. 2,464,763, l

March A15, 1949. The principal object of the present invention is to provide at low cost a high lduality precision ruling or lining instrument which will (1) guarantee the accuracy of the VWidths or weights ofthe lines designated to be drawn with it, (2) tov insure the uniformity of lines drawn with the instrument or with identified duplicates thereof in any-line width or weight, (3) make possible the` drawing of extraordinarily wide lines and the drawing of wlde'lines to extraordinary llengths with each filling, and to effect increased `draftingfroom production through 'this instruments greatly increasedink-holding capacity, 'resultingvin greatly reduced lost time in re-lling operations.Y v i I f' Another objectof the present invention is to isave ink 'consumption andY to avoid'thevobjec- ,tio/nable shrinking ieiect in tracing paper, especially of too yheavily' spread ink, which results 'from the useoftypicalruling pensset for extra vwide lines. v "A vInthe pen of my pending application, the well vknown principle that opposing, keenly sharpened {nibs ornjaws separated from each other at a jgiven distance will, in contact with the surface upon which a line is drawn with ink or other marking iiuid, so confine the iiuid between the vsharpened nibs or jaws that a line is produced ofA exactly the samey width or weigh as the distance of separation of the nibs or jaws. The width of the lines drawn by said instrument was limited to approximately one-thirty-second of van inch, using India ink as it comesfrom the `bottle and, in accordance withthe present invention', the width or weight of the line can be v'increased to practically any desired width. Y

In the present ruling or lining instrument a Alarge quantity of ink or otherdrawing uid is 'carried between the nibs by an absorbent ller retained between the nibs by suitable means. My ruling or lining instrument will retain at Veachviilling, without danger of dripping, several times the quantity of ink or other marking fiuid thatV can be retained by typical ruling instruments. This is due to the absorbent ller in which ink or ruling uid may be carried up to fthe point of saturation.

l The rate of ow -of the ink which is stored at achvfilling in the absorbent filler to the point vof contact on the surface upon which theline is drawn isgoverned by the density and the na*- ture ofthe -material from which the absorbent ller is made. For example, a coarse steel wool iiller will permit the ink to flow to the contact point of the instrument more rapidly Vthan will a fine steel wool ller. 7

MetalY wools 'in' general faster to the point of contact thanwill animal Vwool or vegetable llers Thejdesired' rate-of iiow can' be governed by thernature of the filler used.

It is intended to provide for this instrument a supply of a variety of insertable-removable absorbent llers to suit the desires of the user.,`

With these and other objects and advantages iny view, this invention consists in the several novel features' hereinafter fullyl set forth and more particularly dened in the appended claims.

VThe invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which: f 1,

Fig. 1' is a side elevation of a ruling or lining instrument illustrating a simple form of the present invention; K Y v Fig. 2 is a cross section takenon the line 2*-2 y of lFig.'1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the pen;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation thereof; 1

Fig. 5 is a cross section` taken on the line-5 5 of Fig. 1;` l

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of an absorbent filler used in the instrument; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal section of the y filler retainer used.

Referring to said drawing, the reference character l!) designates the holder of the instrument which may comprise the conventional pen holder vof the common and well known ruling or lining pen, and Il designates the pen, constructed in v accordance with the present invention, andsecured to the pen holder as will be presentlyex- 'plained.

at one end of the nibs they merge into a curved --neck or shankportion I6, preferably of semif circular form and provided with inturned'iianges will feed they mi;

I2 which seat in oppositely disposed grooves i3 formed in the pen handle. The grooves and iianges slant slightly with respect to the opposite curved wall of the neck so that when the latter is pushed upon the pen holder the latter is gripped between the flanges and opposite curved wall of the neck. Y

The side edges I9 ofthe nibs are substantially parallel with the edge of the U-bend ld and from said edges I9 the side edges 19a slope to the point of the pen point. The U-bend terminates at 22 and from the end of the U-bend the edges2 l of the nibs slope to the point 2G on the sameangle as the edges l9a. The pointed ends of the nibs are sharpened, as by grinding or whetting to provide a sharpened point on each nib although, if desired, the points may be slightly dulled tov avoid the danger of cutting through thin tracing paper and the like.

The inner faces of the nibs are parallel throughout their extent and are spaced apart the ysame distance as the widthA of :the lines to be drawn by the instrument. The inner faces of the nibs always remain at thissame distanceand any sharpening of the points does not vary the distance'between the points; consequently the width vor weight/ of the lines drawn with the instrument always remainsthe samefA The inner faces Tof the nibs may bespace'dY apart any desirable Y distance'andthe pens may be constructed in Various' sizes so as to produce lines of various widths.

Secured between the nibs of the pen is an absorbent iller 23 which is'shaped to'correspond generally with the.shape of the nibs and is held therebetween by friction.` A filler retainer 23a is provided which has a wall '25 extending across the space between the nibs at the U-bend thereof,

and is provided along its length'fwith a prong 2B Which is thrust into the edge offthe absorbent ller. Said wall 25:extends above* the ller'and has a laterally projectingnger 2'! which overlies the ller.

The lower end of the iller retainer is .of a V-shape formation, as shown vat 28, extending between the nibs at their pointed ends, and the wall Z thereof is provided with perforations or slots 39 extending-,almost but not quite to the pointed Vend of the ller retainer, through which perforations or slots the ink or other marking uidmay bleed andowto thepointed end of the filler retainer, which pointed end is in the nature of a bar 3| which spreads` the ink and applies it uniformly to the surface beingruled. The sharpened ends of the nibs confine the ink to the exact width or weigh of the line. The free end of the V-formation of the ller retainer is preferably bent outwards slightly to, form a linger tip 32, whereby the filler may-,be adjusted` back and forth between the pen points.

The pen is lled with ink as by a small syringe vand ink is introduced to the absorbent filler until ,it is practically saturated. As vink is applied to the surface by the bar, the ink in the absorbent ller ows toward the point, where the ink is being evacuated.

In case the absorbent filler becomes clogged by dry ink, it may be removed from the pen, together with the filler retainer and the used ller and replaced by a clean absorbent filler. The cleanller and filler retainer are then replaced in the pen. l In drawing lines with the present ruling o-r lining instrument, the flat outer face of the nibwhich l Y vious that various immaterial modications may contacts with the T-square or other straight edge aligns the pen with the T-square or other straight be made in the same without departing from the y spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be .understood-as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned. y

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.` A ruling or lining instrument comprising a pen composed of two spaced, similar, parallel nibs which taper along .oblique linesuto Aa point, an absorbentnller contained in thespace Vbel-ftween the nibs and a filler retaininglement held between the nibs, said iiller retaining 'element paralleling in part'the edges of the nibs and vbeing perforated. adjacent the point, and said nibs merging intol a portion for attachment to a penholder. A

2. A ruling. or lining instrument comprising a. pen composed of two spaced, similar, parallel nibs which taper along oblique lines to a point, an absorbent nller contained in the space between the nibs, a slotted ller' retaining element held between the nibs, said filler retaining element being adjustable along the length of the nibs and being provided with a` linger piece protruding from the pen, whereby the ller retaining element may be adjusted, and said nibs merging into a neck for attachment to apen holder. 3.,In a ruling or lining. instrument, a ruling pen having, two parallel spaced nibs each taperingto a point, anabsorbentller between said nibs, and aiiller retainer having anapertured wall.,paralleling one of the tapered edges of themen, said wall having. an inkspreading bar disposed at the point of the pen. l

4., Aruling or lining instrument for drawing lines, `of predetermined relatively great width .comprising a penV composed of two substantially .lines -of predetermined, relatively great width comprising a pen composed of two substantially spaced parallel relatively extended similar nibs vunited along Aone edge, each nib beingl tapered toa point, thetapered edges of the two nibs near the point being free from each. other and sharpened from the exposed surfaces of thefnibs to a sharpedge at the-parallel adjacent surfaces at least at said point, aninkj. vretaining filler between the nibs, a slotted llerretair'iing element vheld between the nibsfsaid filler retaining element being adjustable along the length of the nibs and being provided with a finger piece protruding from the pen, whereby the filler retaining element may be adjusted, and means for attaching the pen to a handle.

6. A ruling or lining instrument for drawing lines of predetermined relatively great width comprising a pen composed of two substantially spaced parallel relatively extended similar nibs united along one edge, each nib being tapered to a point, the tapered edges of the two nibs near the point being iree from each other and sharpened from the exposed surfaces of the nibs to a sharp edge at the parallel adjacent surfaces at least at said point, an ink retaining ller between the nibs, a filler retainer having an apertured Wall paralleling one of the tapered edges of the pen, said wall having an ink spreading bar disposed at the point of the pen, and means for attaching the pen to a handle.

7. A ruling or lining instrument for drawing lines of predetermined relatively great width comprising a pen composed ci two substantially parallel relatively extended similar nibs spaced from each other at greater than an ink retaining distance, means to hold said nibs in spaced A parallel relation, each nib being tapered to a point, the tapered edges of the two nibs Ynear the point being free from each other and sharpened from the exposed surfaces of the nibs to a sharp edge at the parallel adjacent surfaces at least at said point, a loosely formed ller ab sorbent to liquid ,India ink between the nibs and a perforated ller retainer extendingbetween the nibs along the tapered edges of the nibs on both sides of the points.

HUGH M. MCCLURE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

